Ten years ago, I sat across from Gay Talese in his Manhattan townhouse, trying to steady my nerves as I prepared to interview the man whose writing had attracted me to the genre of New Journalism. At the time, Mr. Talese was immaculately dressed, deliberate in his words, effortlessly magnetic. As a proud Italian-American and teacher, speaking with Mr. Talese was not just an assignment for an Italian-American newspaper – it was a rite of passage.

After our 2015 interview, I occasionally kept in touch during the holidays by extending my best wishes to him and his wife, Nan, married 67 years. During one exchange in our email correspondence, Mr. Talese recounted a story that Mario Puzo based the character Kay (Michael Corleone’s spouse) in “The Godfather,” after his wife.